Lewis, Nancy

Nancy Lewis (1917-1993) was a Hopi potter from the village of Sichomovi. Sichomovi is on First Mesa, between the villages of Walpi and Hano. Sichomovi was settled in the 1700s, mostly by clans migrating from Zuni. Even today Sichomovi is considered a Zuni pueblo on First Mesa, even though clans migrating from other Rio Grande pueblos have since settled there, too. The walls of Sichomovi begin only a few feet from the walls of Hano. Sometime after she got married, Nancy moved down off the mesa to the village of Polacca.

Nancy was an active potter from about 1960 to about 1980. She seems to have mostly made wide, low bowls, although she did make some jars and wedding vases, too. Her pottery shapes and decorations were mostly out of the Sikyátki-Revival form and design vocabulary. Some of her works are present in the permanent collection of the Museum of Northern Arizona. She signed most of her pieces on the bottom with a simple “Nancy Lewis”, although some were signed “Nancy Lewis Polacca AZ”.